Istanbul

Cheating with the photographs here a bit as these come from a fleeting visit to Istanbul in 1996. In 2006 we were in Istanbul only to fly in and out, not having any extra time to revisit the city. With its long history and wonderful architecture it really deserves more time than we have spent here. Plus it was a gloomy day when we explored the city so few chances for good photography.

Begun in the fifteenth century, the Topkapi Palace was the main residence of the Ottoman Sultans for over 300 years. Today its wonderful buildings are home to some very beautiful artefacts - I was especially impressed by the thrones and a gold, jewel encrusted dagger and sheath. I did enjoy looking around the harem too!

The mosques in Istanbul are very beautiful and we were able to visit three of the most well-known.

Aya Sofya was originally an Orthodox church built between 532 and 537 by Emperor Justinian 1st. After the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in 1453, the church was converted into a mosque, and a minaret added. Restoration of the then somewhat dilapidated building continued right up until the 19th century, when the appearance became much as we see it today. Inside, the mosaics are magnificent and can be seen best from the upper level. In particular I liked the Virgin And Child, in the south-west tympanum, dating from 944, and the Empress Zoe mosaics - even though the heads on these figures are not the originals!

Probably my favourite is the Sultan Ahmed or Blue Mosque. Built between 1609 and 1616, the interior walls are covered with 20,000 hand made tiles and decorated with beautiful Arabic script. Even the domed ceilings are beautifully tiled - the blue tiles giving the mosque its alternative name. It boasts six minarets and as only the mosque in Mecca was supposed to have six the Sultan paid for an extra one to be added to the mosque there! (Wikipedia)

The Süleymaniye Mosque was built between 1550 and 1557, designed by the renowned architect Sinan for Süleyman the Magnificent and has a beautiful courtyard with four minarets - it's the one to be seen in the sunset shot below. The interior is enormous and very peaceful, with quite restrained decoration. The mosque has many adjoining buildings which include a soup kitchen for the poor, caravanserai, hospital, school and a bath house. Within the grounds are also the tombs of Sulayman and his wife Roxelana.

 

 

We wandered the lively city streets, trying a local dish on the way - it smelled excellent, but tasted disgusting and looked like intestines.

Eventually we made it through the back streets down to the waterfront where fisherman had very artistically arranged their fish for sale. Here we saw the Akdeniz made famous by Paul Theroux in "Pillars of Hercules".

Later we sailed from the Golden Horn with the sun setting over the city - a magical experience.

In 2006 when we returned to Turkey we landed at Istanbul and, for convenience, stayed the first night outside the city at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, with a fine view of the busy Sea of Marmora shipping lanes leading to the city harbours. There's something fascinating to me about working cargo ships - I found the same in Shanghai watching the barge traffic on the Huangpo river, wondering where they'd come from and where they were going and how the trade had been going on in much the same way for centuries.

We used the hotel shuttle the first evening to get to the hotel and then the following morning picked up our hire car at the airport and drove out west towards the Gallipoli peninsula, where the only possibility for lunch on the way was a Burger King (which we actually quite enjoyed!) at Kasan, right on the road so it's easy to find!

The Gallipoli Peninsula

Our intention was to explore the 1915 battlefield sites; though Andrew has been here previously many years ago, this is completely new to me. These explorations are described in a separate page on Gallipoli (so any military references are explained there) and here I will only describe the more social aspects of the visit.

Choosing comfort over convenience, we stayed at the Hotel Kolin at Çanakkale, on the opposite side of the Straits to the Gallipoli peninsula. The hotel was fine, though with a tendency to deliver meals different to what we had ordered, this was forgiven for the fantastic fresh cherries and yoghourt at breakfast. We even managed an hour by the pool here one afternoon for an unusual interlude of R & R! A wonderful view west from our room across the Gallipoli straits - particularly fine at sunset.

The 30-minute ferry crossing from Çanakkale to Eceabat is an adventure in itself but does cut into the time available to tour the battlefields.

The peninsula has a wonderful unspoilt coastline, with very little evidence of tourism. 'V' Beach was deserted when we visited, apart from two children having great fun jumping from a rickety wooden pier into the sea. Here on the beach we discovered the Mocamp bar/restaurant and had an excellent lunch of chicken and chips and ice-cold beer.

We also ate the local food in Çanakkale and found it very good: meat kebab, tomato salad in flat bread freshly made in a roadside café we particularly enjoyed.

Troy

I was very much looking forward to visiting Troy - such a well-known school-learned history of the war between the Greeks and Trojans for the return of Helen, the wife of Menelaus, 'kidnapped' by Paris.

Paris, son of Priam of Troy, when asked to choose between the most beautiful of the goddesses Hera, Aphrodite and Athena chose Aphrodite because she promised him the most beautiful woman, Helen, as his wife. Helen had suffered a previous kidnapping attempt so that when Menelaus won her he made all her previous suitors (of which there were many) promise that if she were ever kidnapped again they would come to his aid. Agamemnon, the brother of Menelaus, led the troops into Troy but they were delayed at Aulis by lack of wind for their sailing ships.

Agamemnon had angered the goddess Artemis and in order to propitiate the goddess he was to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia. He tricked his wife, Clytemnestra, into bringing Iphigenia to him, by promising that she was to be married to Achilles. An excellent book, The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood, explores possible aspects of this story - Penelope was Helen's cousin and wife to Odysseus.

Anyway, the winds returned, the Greeks sailed and after some time discovered where Troy was located and went into battle, as Priam would not return Helen. The Greeks besieged the city for ten years without success and finally employed the famous Trojan Horse to smuggle troops inside the walls (Greeks bearing gifts etc.) The Greek ships apparently sailed away and the Trojans, ignoring warnings from Cassandra, brought the horse into the city. That night while the city slept, the soldiers climbed out of the horse, opening the city gates to allow the returning Greeks to enter, and set fire to the city and slaughtered the inhabitants.

Whether any of the legendary events leading up to the Trojan Wars were a reality is open to question. Homer's epic Odyssey and Illiad, though purporting to tell of these events, were written many centuries later and are probably an agglomeration of several different wars.

Abandoned after the wars, Troy became known as Ilium and was ruled over by Alexander the Great and then occupied by the Romans, finally declining under Byzantine rule. It would once have held a very strategic position at the entrance to the Dardanelles and this may have been the reason for the wars - i.e. a dispute over trade routes, but the coast has receded and this must have contributed to its decline.

In 1822 McClaren proposed the archaeological site at Hisarlik as the legendary Troy. In 1870 the German archaeologist Schliemann opened the mound. He is a controversial figure, some regard him as little more than a treasure hunter and sensationalist whose "archaeological" techniques destroyed much of the later layers of this complex site in his haste to discover remains from the "Trojan War" era. An excellent book by Peter Ackroyd The Fall of Troy is based on Schliemann.

In 1882 and later in 1932 Dorpfield and Blegen respectively brought their experience to bear on the site and the nine different levels of which it is composed began to be expertly analysed.

The oldest level, Troy I, is early Bronze age dating to almost 3000B.C. and consisting of a small fort of which almost nothing remains. Between 2500 and 2200B.C. the city Troy II, was developed, though not greater in extent to the earliest settlement, it consisted of orderly houses (megarons) with the largest at the highest point. Gates in the city walls were approached by ramps. Schliemann found treasure at this level which he proclaimed as "Priam's Treasure". At the end of this period the city was attacked and destroyed by fire. Between 2200 and 1800 B.C. this culture continues in Levels III to V but with less prosperity.

The town was again destroyed around 1800B.C. and at this point the fortunes of the town, Troy VI, revived after it was settled by invaders who built new walls enclosing an enlarged space - almost double the size of the earlier town - and well-constructed houses of different designs. This is the age of Priam's Troy which came to an end with a strong earthquake in 1275B.C.

We now enter the era of Troy VII characterised by lowly buildings and again a destruction by fire in 1240B.C. followed by a fresh wave of settlement by incomers bringing a change of culture. There followed a gap of 400 years before Troy became a Greek city and then followed the Roman period, Troy VII, between 300B.C., and 300A.D.

This is a truly atmospheric place where one can imagine difficult lives were led, often in fear of attack, but where a civilisation flourished for a time.

Assos

An 18km winding road led to Assos - the final drop to the harbour is extremely steep! This is a picturesque spot, full of small hotels and pensions, everyone eating breakfast at the outdoor tables when we arrived.

Driving back up to the old village we made our way to the Temple of Athena, built in 530B.C. and with magnificent views out to the Aegean and the island of Lesbos. The temple must have been highly visible from the sea and an important landmark for sailors.

Pergamon

Lunch in Ayvalik at Oz Canli Balik right on the harbour wall - very good meat kebabs and Eves Pilsen - before making for Bergama and the ancient ruins of Pergamon.

There are significant ancient remains here and we wanted more than a quick visit. Unfortunately the choice of hotels was very limited and we ended up staying at the Bergmoy Hotel which has little to recommend it apart from location but is OK for one night.

Following the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C. his generals took over different parts of the conquered territories. Lysimachus controlled Anatolia and deposited 9000 talents there for safety in the charge of Philetairus. Although Lysimachus was defeated by the Seleucid Antiochus in 281B.C., Pergamon and its treasure was retained by Philetairus. Pergamon was passed on to his successors, became an ally of Rome and was given most of the Seleucid possessions in Western Anatolia after the defeat of Antiochus IV by the Romans. Many of the buildings to be seen at Pergamon were built during the reign of Eumenes II, 197 - 159 B.C.

Although there is a well-known massive red brick structure in the modern city, formerly a Greek temple to the Egyptian god Serapis and later a Byzantine basilica, which can be visited, we were interested in the Greek and Roman remains of the two principle areas: the Acropolis high above modern Bergama, and the Asclepion area to the west of the city.

Asclepion

The Asclepion, sanctuary of the god of healing, Asclepius, served as a sort of medical centre. Dreams were used in the diagnosis of complaints in the earliest times and the waters from a sacred well were also used for treatment.

Galen the prominent medical researcher, was born in Pergamon around 130A.D. and practised and taught here, his theories becoming highly influential in Western medicine. He dissected animals to study anatomy and it was he who first demonstrated that arteries carry blood.

A colonnaded sacred way from the Roman period leads to the site entrance where a courtyard is surrounded by the principal buildings.

The circular treatment room is well-preserved. Originally with two storeys only the lower level, below ground, remains, but the arched alcoves in the walls can be clearly seen and a tunnel leading to the sacred well is intact. There was also a library which would probably have included medical texts for the doctors as well as reading material for patients. With a Roman theatre as well this complex seems to have catered not only for the physical well-being of patients.

Acropolis

The Acropolis is a rather larger site occupying a magnificent position high above the modern city and with extensive views. The complex included a library and theatre as well as temples and so was not purely focussed on religion.

The Temple of Trajan, which has been partially reconstructed, is the only Roman building here, having been built in the second century A.D. by Hadrian, Trajan's successor. The remaining edifices are Greek in origin.

The famous library, built in the time of Eumenes II, was given by Mark Anthony to Cleopatra and transferred to Alexandria. Pergamon is also famous for the invention of parchment as an alternative to papyrus which became necessary when the Egyptians banned its export. In contrast to papyrus, which is made from a plant, parchment is made from animal skin.

The most impressive of the remains is without doubt the vertiginous theatre, also built during the reign of Eumenes II. It had a capacity of 10,000 people seated in 80 rows - the top row is so high above the stage area it's a wonder those seated there could make anything of what was happening on the stage far below! However, they had the most spectacular views to look at as an alternative!

Such impressive remains, at both sites, are well-worth the effort to reach this area and the poor accommodation, but if you are pushed for time then make for the theatre on the Acropolis - an utterly fantastic structure with the most incredible outlook for miles across the surrounding landscape.

 

Selcuk

Selcuk was our base for exploring this more southern region of Turkey.

We stayed at the Hotel Kalehan and were very impressed: the room was very good - clean and with excellent air-conditioning; the staff very friendly and helpful. The pool area has a bar and is great to come back to after a day's touring, plus the peaceful garden has lots of sitting places and a double hammock for a post-lunch snooze in the shade - if you have the time!

In the town we discovered the Café/Restaurant Tat and its engaging owner. We ate here two or three times during our stay and were never disappointed: excellent Iskender kebap.

St John is supposed to have lived and written his gospel in Selcuk. The basilica of St John is believed to be located on the burial place of the saint. Originally built by Justinian in the sixth century A.D., on the site of a smaller church, it fell into ruins and was converted into a mosque in the fourteenth century, being completely destroyed in 1402 by Tamerlane as he and his armies swept through the area.

The restorations give a good impression of how fine the basilica must have been when first built.

The well-preserved Byzantine fortress stands near the basilica on the Ayasuluk hill. About 1500 years old it has fifteen towers in its surrounding walls which are remarkably intact.

Ephesus

For more than 2500 years there has been a city on or near this site. Strategically it was important as it lay close to the sea with a harbour and interest in trade routes. After the death of Alexander it was part of the land controlled by Lysimachus along with Pergamon but fell to the Romans in the third century B.C. when it was handed over to Pergamon. In the third century A.D. the silting up of the harbour heralded a slow decline.

Almost everything to be seen today at Ephesus is of Roman origin.

The site is large and usually very crowded, especially on the major paved road leading down the hill to the library.

At the top of the site (south east) is the second century A.D. Odeon, sometimes called a Bouleuterion, where the senate or Boulea would meet. It also functioned as a concert Hall or Odeum.

Close to the Odeon is the Prytaneion where the sacred flame, symbolising the heart of the city, was kept eternally burning.

Through the Herakles Gate Curetes Street descends past a small but beautiful building with an entrance arch supported on four Corinthian columns. This was a temple dedicated to Hadrian who visited Ephesus in 128A.D.

Opposite the Hadrian Temple is, for us, the most fascinating part of the site. Here, in a climate-controlled enclosure, are preserved terraced houses. Photography is not allowed in this area but I would highly recommend a visit if you can manage it. The frescoes and mosaics are wonderful and it's revealing to see the domestic layout almost intact so that imagining how these people lived 2000 years ago becomes much easier. Admittedly these would be the wealthier citizens but fascinating nonetheless.

Of course the library of Celsus has to take a top spot too - it is a truly impressive structure. It was built around 120A.D. in memory of Gaius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, the pro-consul of the province of Asia, by his son. His tomb lies below the ruins. The library faces east and so would receive the morning light, the better to study the manuscripts of which it had over 12000. It was the third in the triumvirate of famous libraries with those of Alexandria and Pergamon.

Walking north from the Library brings you to the Great Theatre and the area of the harbour.

The theatre was the largest in the region with a capacity for an audience of 25,000. Originally a Greek building from the time of Lysimachus, it was significantly enlarged by the Romans.

The Street of Arcadius leads from the theatre to the site of the ancient harbour. This would have been a street designed to impress vistors and was apparently even lit at night. What a bustling, vibrant place this must have been at the peak of its prosperity!

Didyma, Miletus and Priene.

In one day we visited these three sites, all near the south west coast, beginning at Didyma.

Temple of Apollo at Didyma

In ancient times Didyma was the site of a sanctuary, possibly of the Anatolian goddess Cybele, but by the seventh century B.C. it was managed by the Branchiae, a family of priests who would interpret the oracle of the temple, an oracle which rivalled the oracle at Delphi in fame and influence.

The temple was destroyed by the Persians in 494B.C. as part of the general punishment meted out to the region for the part Miletus played in the Ionian war.

The rebuilding of the temple began in the Hellenistic period, in the third century B.C., but it was never completed.

Said to be second only in size and grandeur to the destroyed Hellenistic Temple of Artemis near Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, it is here that one can also begin to imagine the magnificence of that ancient temple.

Raised on a platform high above the ground, reached by deep steps, the temple was conceived on a grand scale. The columns, almost 20m high, form a double row around the central area and inner chamber (cella) which was sunk below the level of the platform and reached by tunnels. At the entrance were a further three rows of four columns making 120 columns in all. Though columns stand unfinished, or tumbled to the ground, and beautiful sculpture lies scattered in the grass, so much remains that we can easily imagine how imposing the finished temple would have been.

Miletus

15 to 20km north of Didyma, and originally connected to it by a sacred way, lie the ruins of the city of Miletus. Like Troy and Ephesus, Miletus was once a major trading centre on the sea in the seventh century A.D. but came to lie many kilometres inland as the sea receded over the next millenium. It is a large site and it was immensely hot here with little shade.

Little remains standing of this once important harbour city. The theatre - as seems to be usual in this region built by the Greeks and enlarged by the Romans - is the best preserved of the ruins and still impressive. The four columns which held the baldaquin over the emperor's chair are still in place.

We wanted to try to find the two carved lions which once guarded the Bay of Lions harbour mouth - a chain was strung between them in times of danger. This involved trekking out over flat scrubby ground which would once have been the harbour. With the help of a local we did manage to find one of the lions, sadly weather worn, and fast disappearing from sight.

As far as we could see from here, there was no sign of the ocean.

Priene

Again, a city which lost its importance due to silting up of the sea; this had already become a problem in Roman times. However, much remains of the city built in the fourth century B.C. and, as it was less favoured by the Romans than its important neighbour Miletus, it has less Roman influence in its architecture.

Built on the Greek grid system the city rises on a system of terraces below Mount Mykale. This orderly layout can still be clearly seen in the ruins today. High above the plain the city enjoys wonderful views and a cooling breeze.

The lower tiers of the little theatre are very well-preserved, including special seats of honour at ground level, the arms and legs of which end in clawed paws.

Further on, the extensive layout of the town can be seen from in front of the site of the Temple of Athena, a gift from Alexander and a beautiful example of Ionic architecture - some columns have been restored, the rest lie in shattered heaps on the ground.

Latmus Herakleia

Around 50 km south of Selcuk, on the north east shore of Lake Bafa, lie what remains of Herakleia on the slopes of Mount Latmus. The tranquil lake was once a bay connected to the sea but eventually cut off by the inevitable silting which affected all of this coastline. Although there are some ancient ruins it is the beautiful setting which is the draw.

Driving through sunflower and cotton fields to get here, we had sour cherry drinks in the Agora Pension before setting off to explore the area: a Temple of Athena with only the cella walls standing, the Endymion shrine, a ruined necropolis - though we found no graves - and the ruins of a Byzantine castle on an island in the lake. Excellent breads, olives and Efes Pilsen back at the Agora were marred only by the feeling we were being slightly ripped off.

Buying figs on the way back to the Katelan for refreshment by the pool, this was one of our more relaxing days!

Aphrodisias

The owner of the Tat Restaurant had introduced us to an English Professor, based in Turkey. He was very interesting to talk to, involved with the setting up of the Crisler Library at Ephesos and very kindly invited us to the opening - a very enjoyable evening. Discussing Turkey we asked him where we should visit, given that we were already planning to visit Ephesus etc. He immediately recommended Aphrodisias, said it was the most stunning site and we really should visit if we could - so we did.

His recommendation led us to one of the most impressive places we have seen - and not only in Turkey. So much remains that we spent hours here exploring, and could have spent longer!

There has been some kind of settlement here for many millenia, but it is as an Hellenistic-Roman city that it flourished for 700 years from the first century B.C. The city was well-positioned, on the fertile plain of the Meander River, perfect for food crops such as grains, nuts, fruits, figs, olives as well as cotton. There was also good grazing for sheep and an important trade in wool and cotton. Marble quarries nearby kept the skillful sculptors well-supplied and the museum here is well-worth visiting to see some of their famed work. The city was highly important in the cult of Aphrodite, patron goddess of the city, though her Hellenistic temple was later completely rebuilt as a Christian basilica.

The entrance to the site is particularly impressive, via the Tetrapylon, four groups of four columns forming the gateway. Even standing isolated as it does now, it is not difficult to imagine how awe-inspiring it must have been to visitors.

From here we made for the stadium at the north end of the site. The stadium is just incredible: at 270m in length and with seating for 30000 it is one of the largest and the best preserved. Unlike most Hellenistic stadia, this one is curved at both ends and also bowed in the middle so that it begins to approach the shape of a Roman amphitheatre. The eastern area seems to have been used as a small amphitheatre.

If the Tetrapylon and Stadium were all that were here it would still have been worth the long drive, but there are several more gems at Aphrodisias.

My personal favourite is the Bouleuterion (Odeum/Odeon), the city council meeting place, also used for musical performances, poetry recitals, etc. It is a beautiful marble theatre, with staircases pointed with lion paws, and seats of honour with dolphin armrests. It is in very good condition, having been buried in mud for a thousand years.

To the south of the Bouleuterion are the North and South Agoras and west of these the Baths of Hadrian - in many of these buildings the archeaological excavations have uncovered statues and other sculptures.

South west, walking through many ruinous remains, we came to the very well-preserved Great Theatre. Hellenistic in origin, built in the third century B.C., it underwent several renovations and enlargements in the following centuries with seating for upto 15000.

From the top level of the theatre it is possible to look over much of Aphrodisias, from the red brick walls of the Baths of Hadrian, the long sweep of columns down to the Agora Gate and behind over the Odeum, to the Stadium in the distance. It's a sight not to be missed.

Reference: Traveller's Guide: Turkey by Dux Schneider.

Aphrodisias http://www.nyu.edu/projects/aphrodisias/home.ti.htm
Theatre at Aphrodisias http://www.whitman.edu/theatre/theatretour/aphrodisias/aphrodisias.htm